Under Our Wing
by Thinking Without Speaking
Summary: John Egbert is the unwilling heir to the Crocker company. Looking to save their friend, Jade, Dave, and Rose drag him along to London to escape his duties. A surprise awaits them though, when they meet a band of six theives called the Trolls, and are brought into their "care". Takes place in Victorian times. Many characters are involved but unlisted.
1. Adventure

A laugh rang out from the door to the manor, notably forced if someone were to be looking for it. Mr. Egbert was not searching.  
>"Son, at the end of this year I will pass the Crocker business to you. You will be taking classes continuously throughout the year to help you prepare for this responsibility. I am so proud of you." as Mr. Egbert said this he shut the door softly behind him.<br>As he heard the door close, John laid his glasses on his bed sheets and put his head in his hands. If there was anything at all John Egbert did not want to do, that was to own the largest baking company in all of Paris, France. The second thing he hated doing was to be surrounded by expensive, succulent pastries everyday, but that happened anyways.  
>A syrupy voice sounded from down the stairs.<br>"A Dave Strider, a Jade Harley, and a Rose Lalonde have come to see you, my Master!" rang up the large staircase.  
>"Right away, Casey!" he yelled back as he donned his frock coat and top hat. He grabbed his cane as he passed the doorway and trekked down the stairs.<br>His friends stood at the end of the hall, shortly growing impatient.  
>Dave was the tallest, he wore black-tinted goggles atop his eyes and short, light-blonde hair framed his boney face elegantly. A frilly white ascot tie tickled his chin from inside his black vest. Under the vest a red undershirt stuck out to its place of being tucked into his black trousers. His swallow-tail coat fluttered behind his legs.<br>Jade was bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. Her wide circle frames made her large green eyes seem bigger than they already were. Her long black hair cascaded down in carefully-crafted rivulets. A large white square frill lined her upper dress, the lower-half of which stuck out far, heavily laden with crinoline. Buttons adorn her upper half, the middle tied off with a blue silk ribbon. The dress itself was a light green, the inside of which was a blinding white. The sleeves puffed around every side, it must not have been comfortable.  
>Rose stood silently, seemingly analyzing the situation. A large bow stood in the middle of the upper dress, a large yellow sun emblem atop it. Ruffles lined the collar that reached from mid-shoulder to mid-shoulder. The entire dress was a rich lavender, with two black lines running parallel down the front. It bunched at the bottom with black ribbons tying each one in place. The dress flew outwards, at least a foot and a half out from her person.<br>John himself was wearing a light blue vest and a navy frock coat with ruffles down both sides. He had a pair of dark blue shorts that buttoned close to his leg at the bottom. Lastly, he had a frilly white ascot tie tied close to his neck, with an incredibly big blue bow tie on top of that, to match his knee-high lace-up boots. John had black rectangle glasses and bright blue irises. His short hair stuck up everywhere and was untamable.  
>John thanked the maid for alerting him and sat his friends down in the great room and called Nakodile over to make some tea for them all.<br>"What did you lot come over for today?" asked John.  
>"You don't know?" countered Rose. John quirked his brow.<br>"It's your birthday, silly!" shouted Jade. "We came to wish you a happy thirteenth!" her smile nearly broke her face. It was clear to everyone around her that she was straining hard not to jump up and hug John.  
>"I'm surprised you forgot, seeing how you've been bugging us about it for the past month and a half." remarked Dave.<br>"Is it really?"  
>"Yes, of course! It's the thirteenth of April already, you goof,"<br>"How could I have forgotten?" exclaimed John.  
>"I don't know. But as a present we brought you something." Rose pulled a box out from behind her.<br>"Cake!" yelled Jade.  
>"Oh...," John seemed downtrodden. "Thank you for the thought, but I'm going to have enough pastries as with the way this year is going."<br>"Aww. But why?"  
>"Because my dad said," he deepened his voice as far as it could go (which, to be honest, wasn't very far), "'You're going to own the company by January.'"<br>"Why? Doesn't he know you don't want to?"  
>"I guess not. There's no way to escape it, I'll be starting my lessons soon."<br>"That's horrible!"  
>"Well... There is a way to get out of this." proposed Dave. "But you probably won't like it,"<br>"What is it? I would do anything! I don't want to spend the rest of my life with flour up my nose,"  
>"You... Could move to London. The Crocker shops end there, your dad wouldn't be able to find you. He can't bring you back, which means you don't have to do the job."<br>"I...," John thought hard. "But... Would I have to create a new life there? And I can't see my family again? Will I even have money? Where would I find a job?"  
>"Dave is onto something here, John. Cease your worrying. You will have to start a new life, but with us with you it won't be hard. Doesn't your cousin live in London? You can see him. And if your bring a quarter of your father's riches with us, you'll live comfortably and not need a job," assured Rose.<br>"But this is a really big thing!" Nakodile came back with earl gray tea. "Thank you. Anyways, this is major! I don't know if I can do it."  
>Rose took a sip of her tea. "We leave tonight. Knowing your father, your lessons will start tomorrow. If you do not want to be the owner of one of the largest businesses in Paris, we have to go soon."<br>"I...!"  
>"This is unnegotiable. We will wait for an hour outside your manor at 11:00 PM. You have that time to gather your belongings and join us in my mother's carriage."<br>"But-,"  
>"Does anyone have any objections?"<br>"No. My brother's rarely home anyways, London seems like a good change of pace. I'm good for it." stated Dave.  
>"Can I bring my dog?"<br>"Of course."  
>"I'm going! Becquerel is going to LOVE London! Just imagine, a girl and her dog, off to see the world!" Jade jumped.<br>"My mother probably won't care either way." Rose shrugged.  
>"But why? I don't want to do it."<br>"My mind is made up, we are doing this if you go. We are ready to risk everything for you, John. Choose wisely." she stood up and placed her tea on the counter. "I believe we all have work to be getting to. I bid you a good day."  
>"Happy birthday!" Jade, Dave, and Rose walked to the door and Casey showed them out. John sighed and rested his head on his hands. He did not know what to do. The cake rested on the counter, seemingly hand-frosted by his past guests. Jade seemed to have written 'Have a great birthday' in green. Dave had written 'Happy thirteenth' in red. Rose's script read 'I hope you have the best of years' in lavender. He loved his friends, but was he really ready to do this? This was in his interests, but... It was a big and dangerous leap.<br>He checked the clock. It read that it was half past nine. Not too long to go until he had to make his decision and act on it. He ran upstairs to his room and yanked open the closet to pull out a suitcase. Throwing the suitcase open on the floor, he carefully tossed in a few outfits, money, stationary, and bedding. He locked it tight and put it by the door. When 11 o'clock came, he would make his decision. He would either run out the door with this suitcase, or he would unpack the next day.  
>John ordered Casey to wake him at 11 PM and headed back to his quarters to rest.<p>

"Master... Master, you requested I wake you up at this time? Master...?" a knock on the door startled John awake.  
>"Oh... Yes, thank you, you are dismissed."<br>"Thank you, Master. Goodnight." he heard footsteps echoing away down the hall.  
>He eyed the suitcase. "... Goodbye."<br>Quickly, he grabbed his cane, hat, and coat, then his suitcase. After a quick mental debate, he also stashed away a book, namely Grimm's Fairytales.  
>"I'm leaving," he whispered to himself, to his house, to his family. "I'm leaving."<br>John dashed outside to the awaiting carriage, items in tow. The girls welcomed him inside, seeing how Dave was controlling the horses.  
>"I'm glad to see you made the right choice." stated Rose.<br>"We're going to live together!" exclaimed Jade.  
>"Yeah. I... I hope it was the right choice." he slid down in his seat as the coach started to move forwards, away from his home.<p>

((I hope you liked it! I would make this in bold, but formats aren't working for me. :( Anyways, this was done for a Language Arts assignment, so sorry if they're off character! And, if you see a name you don't recognize, tell me, and I'll fix it!  
>This gets better, I promise. Especially after they get robbed by bandits, the Trolls!<br>There will be no romance.  
>Sorry if I got any historical facts wrong, I tried very hard to research! But just tell me the problem and I'll fix it. :)<br>For updates on updates on this story and more, check out the bottom of my profile!  
>Alright, goodnight, lovelies! Expect an update sometime this week!))<p> 


	2. Thievery

After many hours of tiresome driving, John was beginning to nod off again. It had been a smooth drive so far, nothing had gotten in their way.

As the wheels stopped, John realized that was not the case.

"Put your hands up, get out of the coach and put your things where we can reach it!" shouted a voice outside. "Do it and do it fast or blondie over here is dead!" John scoffed. Even if you wanted him gone, there was no way Dave would ever leave.

"Uh... They aren't kidding. Men, they're loaded to the brim with weapons. They might kill you all too if you don't get out." Dave's voice was trembling silently. Everyone in the carriage gulped.

"Well... You heard them. Grab your stuff and get out." Rose commanded.

"What?!" shouted John and Jade unanimously.

"Do it!" yelled Rose. She opened the door and shoved her belongings towards the band of thieves outside. "You happy now?" she stood next to Dave.

"All or nothing...," whispered Jade. She tossed her bag at the closest thief and hugged Rose, silently shaking.

As much as he did not want to, John walked out of the coach and handed a thief his suitcase. Being as small as he was, he hid behind one of his friends. He was the youngest in the group, he had the right to be frightened, he supposed.

"Good, good. You've done a nice job, the first travelers in weeks who've gone without hassle." a member, who looked like the leader, stated. "We'll be taking your stuff now. Say goodbye," he taunted.

"You self-righteous lunatic! Why would you do this?" shouted Jade.

"Because. We've got stuff to do, no time to earn money or steal from banks, of course." smirked a female robber, the one who was holding John's luggage. "'Ay, boss. Look'it." she strode over to the group of friends and reached between Dave and Rose to grab John's hair. She yanked him forwards and he fell on his butt in the middle of the circle of people. "This one's pretty cute. We should keep 'im."

"Let him go!" cried Jade.

"You think so? What use is keeping him for?" asked the leader, who seemed to have ignored the girl.

"Extra labor force. Look, 'e's an aristocrat! All fancy 'n the like, he could get us into ballrooms and such. And if he's a hassle, he'd make good money with that pretty face o' his," she leant down above him as he stared in horror and stroked his cheek.

"I won't do anything for you, witch." John spat weakly. She struck him hard across the face and stood up.

"I'm keepin' the brat. Feel free to follow my lead an' take your picks of the last of 'em." she threw the luggage onto John's stomach. "Carry that, runt. Whine and I'll feed ya to my tarantulas." he nodded sourly and grasped the handle of the bag.

"I'll take the tall blonde over there!" shouted another female, this one with a scratchy voice and a red rag tied around her eyes. "He smells nice," she exclaimed gleefully.

"You and your nose...," grumbled the leader. "Fine! I'll have the girl with the glasses. She looks stupid, good for using as a bargaining chip."

"This isn't an auction!" whined Jade.

"Ye' it is, girl, we take you or you get a bullet to the brain." said John's 'owner'.

"I want the blonde girl." stated a soft-spoken female.

"Now that that's settled, we'll be walking. Gamzee isn't good with horses and I don't feel like cleaning up puke for a week." stated the leader. "Your owners are gonna be your partners for the rest of the time we keep you. Tiny pale boy, you're with Vriska." newly christened Vriska winked at him. "Tall blondie, you're with Terezi. Black-haired girl, you're with me, I'm Karkat. Magic Princess Independent, you're with Kanaya. The two that don't have an aristocrat are Gamzee and Sollux. We're the Trolls, it's not been a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasant." hissed Rose.

"Blah blah blah, more formalities, now, who are you lot?" asked Vriska. Everyone was silent.

"Talk!" screamed Karkat.

"I'm Dave, hello, Mr. Screamy, you're with Jade, tall tanned female, you're with Rose, and extremely possessive brunette, you're with John. Any questions?"

"Now that we all know each other, let's get moving. We're headed to Norwich." Karkat shoved Jade forwards, whom stumbled and then started to walk ahead.

John staggered up from the ground. "You're going to Norwich? We're going to London! Maybe you could drop us off along the way?"

"'N why would we do that, puny?" teased Vriska.

"Because... If you do, we won't complain and we won't cause trouble the whole way there, I promise!" the entire group started walking.

"Why should we believe you?" sneered Karkat.

"I'm the reason we're all going to London, they'll obey me if this is the only way to get there. Please, I just want to make it to London,"

"No take backs?" crooned Terezi.

"I swear with all my heart."

"Fine, we'll take you ta London." groaned Vriska. John perked up.

"Dave, Jade, Rose, you are now under strict orders to do whatever these thugs say and to be on your best behavior to them."

"I-!"

"No exceptions! You suggested this trip for me, so on this trip you are my lackeys and will do what I tell you."

"When did you get all tempered?" groaned Dave.

"When our lives got ransacked by a bunch of neandra-... wonderful people." Karkat nodded at him.

They walked for hours on end. John, who, as to the Étranger's requests, was carrying all of the luggage, was tripping nearly every step and sagging under the weight. Still, he was silent. His friends had to admire his perseverance and the strength of his will. Alas, no matter how strong his will was, many hours into the trek he collapsed with the luggage crushing him.

"John!" worried Jade. She moved the bags off of her friend.

"I'm fine," wheezed the short boy.

"Blondie!" shouted Terezi.

"Why does my nickname have to be the name of a type of brownie? Why can't it be like... Donkey Cabbages?" complained Dave.

"Because you're stupid, that's why. Anyways, Dave, you're on carry duty. Go go go!"

"And up it goes," Dave lifted the luggage onto his broad shoulders. "You need some help, John?"

"No, I've got it." huffed John. Slowly, he hoisted himself up from the dusty ground.

"Oi, ittsy-bittsy spider, you're so weak. Ya need some training, we need to toughen you up so you can brave London and not be crushed," laughed Vriska.

"I am tough!" he pouted.

"Naw, you're not." she pinched his cheeks. "You're just cute and tiny. And annoying." she slapped his cheek twice softly with the back of her hand, as if to scold him. "You're about as tough as a pancake." John stuck out his bottom lip and hung back at the end of the group for the rest of the night.

When they had finished walking for the day, they found a good spot to lie down on.

"We're walking more tomorrow, so rest your tired little legs so you can carry your own weight in the morning." commanded a yawning Karkat. Sollux had lit a fire and then gone back to sulking as far away from the aristocrats as he could. "Vriska, Terezi, Kanaya, and myself will be watching our partners. Good? No? Too bad." John groaned as he laid down as far away from Vriska as he could without raising suspicion.

"Ay. Tiny rich boy. Why are you going to London?" asked his partner.

"My dad was forcing me to own a business I didn't want, so my friends decided to drag me as far away from it as possible," he recalled.

"Did ya have a say at all?"

"No... I suppose not. But it was my choice to go and I went. Why? And why are you headed to Norwich?"

"I was curious 'bout my lil' runt." she stuck her tongue out at him. "'N boss says we're headed to Norwich 'cause a good broker's there who'll pay f'r our stuff without callin' the jailers." she mused.

"Yes, but... Why are you going to Norwich?" John repeated.

"I'm goin' 'cause... Because...," she seemed to be growing confused. "I... Because the Trolls wouldn't leave me alone." it wasn't an answer to his question, but he let it go.

"... Oh." John squirmed awkwardly in the silence. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

"'Night." she rolled over to face the fire and tugged her coat closer to her.

The other groups were still talking with their partners, about what John didn't know. Dave seemed to be laughing with Terezi, Karkat was groaning as Jade droned on about one of her favorite topics, and Rose seemed to be, surprisingly, enjoying Kanaya's company. The flame flickered silently in the middle of the group.

John couldn't help but worry about how this whole thing would turn out. This was a dangerous band if thieves, for goodness sakes! He and his friends were under control of these criminals. Their lives were in the hands of people who could get arrested if they said 'hello' to the wrong person. Nonetheless, he was entrusting his friends to these good-for-nothing crooks!

This wouldn't be, it couldn't be. So, as unsure as he was, he hatched a simple plan. He would keep watch over the bandits and wait until they were all asleep, then take his friends and their stuff and abscond.

The flame licked higher and higher into the sky as John became more and more on edge. The dying light of the fire was barely enough to watch the faces of the people around him. At the moment, he and Gamzee were the only ones awake.

To be honest, Gamzee scared him. Well, more than the others, that is. Gamzee had sharp teeth, evil eyes, and a laid-back walk. In John's eyes, he was probably responsible for murder. And, now that he was thinking about it, genocide. Yes, that sounded right. Gamzee looked like the genocide type. He also always looked drunk, but that was another matter.

If only he would fall asleep...

Maybe he _was_ drunk? Maybe, if he was already half-full of alcohol, if John offered him some brandy, he would pass out? ... Then again, he didn't have any brandy.

That put a bit of a chink in his plans.

Just as he was beginning to contemplate bashing Gamzee over the head with his cane, he noticed Gamzee had finally fallen asleep. Counting that as a win for himself, he got up and rushed over to Dave. His finger was poised above his cheek, mouth open, preparing to whisper his name, ready to wake him up.

But he stopped.

He did not know why he did not save his friends, save himself. He did not know why he dropped his arm to his side and shut his mouth. He did not know why he went back to his spot to sleep, did not know why he laid down a little bit closer to his criminal partner. Lastly, he did not know why he slept so comfortably on the hard ground, shivering in the autumn cold, surrounded by dangerous strangers.

He did not know much about why he did those things that night, but one thing he did know was that, for some strange reason, he was okay with that.

The next morning he felt extreme guilt.

Not because he thought about leaving, but because he did not leave.

"Up and at'em! It's only five in the morning, you sacks of over-mashed potatoes! Get up, get up, get up!" Karkat kicked John's leg.

Glaring out of the corner of his eye, John tiredly stood up. He had lived the life of a wealthy aristocrat, he was not built for 5-in-the-morning wake up calls. He was more built for 7-AM-and-a-cup-of-tea wake up calls.

"Here are the plans for the day! We eat, equal rations for all, then we go over the missions for today. Eat well and eat fast or I'll give what you haven't finished to the birds," he tossed a bag in the middle of the circle. Terezi opened it.

"Bread and cheese today!" she ripped off pieces from a large loaf. Everyone got a piece of bread and a small hunk of cheese, all mostly equal. He did have growing suspicions that she and Dave got a tiny bit more than everyone else, but he kept quiet.

He ate in small bites, but he ate fast. As much as he would have liked to, he did not have the time to make his meager breakfast last, and the stale bread and common cheese left nothing for him to savor.

As the circle passed around a flask of lukewarm water, John finished the tasteless food, which left no satisfaction behind. The sky was still dark in the early hours, he liked to think it looked of the earl gray tea he so craved. Elaborating upon his own metaphor, he imagined the moon to be a sugar cube, slightly rounded by the erosion of the beverage around it.

Before John could act on his wishes and lick the sky, Vriska caught his attention.

"Now that we're all fed and rested, we start 'r jobs. Newcomers, I'm gonna call you the Kids, Karkat is gonna take ya' on your first mission. Get dressed or dust off, I don' care. You have two minutes 'fore Karkat gets mad that you aren't lined up behind 'im. Trolls, you're with me. Now hop to it!" she whacked John in the back of the head, then bent down to talk to him eye-to-eye. "You do a good job, kid. A good bit 'a trouble won't do you no harm, 'n fact, you might get a bit taller." she ruffled his hair and walked away to her team.

Was she... Trying to help him? Did she actually... Care?

"Hey, dwarf! You're going to haul luggage again if you don't get over here now!" screamed Karkat. Startled, John ran over to him as fast as he could.

"Good. Now that you're all here, here are your assignments. See that town just over the hill? There's a large theatre in the center. They're hosting a show there at noon. You're to get in there and then let us in unnoticed. Got it?" he asked. The group nodded. "Perfect. Now go, we'll be there in two hours. Be on your best behavior, don't raise suspicion, and look good. Are you all nice looking?" he inspected them and their clothes, sometimes moving locks of hair, sometimes dusting off patches of their outfits, sometimes adjusting clothing. "You're good to go, now scat!" they nodded and started walking towards the town.

They made it quickly and found the theatre even faster. John approached the doorman.

"What do you want, kid?" he asked.

"I would like to watch the show, along with my friends. Um, please." he held his cane tightly in nervousness.

"Yeah, alright. Free show if you get in early, you are lucky. My name is Caliborn, I'll be your go-to for questions today. I need to mark you down, what are your names?"

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir. My name is John le-,"

"Cecil. He is John Cecil, as am I." Rose had shown up beside him suddenly. "I am Rose Cecil, we married and he took my last name as to cut all ties with his poor family." the man nodded and let them inside.

"Rose, what was that for?" whispered John. "That was completely unnecessary!"

"It was not." replied Rose. "He could have been a part of your father's company and take you away. You need to be more careful."

"Oh. Thank you."

"And if you are so displeased, you can be married to Jade next town over."

"_Rose_!" his face heated up.

Dave and Jade were making their own introductions behind him, Dave making up a fake last name as to not be acknowledged as his famous brother.

"That was easier than I expected!" cheered Jade.

"For future reference, my name is Dave Leer." John and Rose nodded.

"Also, from what I've counted, it's been an hour since we left. It should be 5:30 sometime around now." everyone groaned.

"You know, right now, I would still be dreaming, and my grandpa would be making me some tea," pouted Jade.

The Kids walked over and sat at a dimly lit table. They had an hour to spare before the Trolls were to arrive.

As the time ticked slowly by, their conversation dwelled on little things, meaningless things that could, perhaps, have meant nothing at all. Dawn rose higher and higher until it became day, the red walls of the theatre seemingly glowing golden in the new sun. Caliborn spared them the sparse glance, slowly growing comfortable with their presence, though still annoyed through and through. Seven walked closer and closer still as the theatre began to ring in patrons and early guests alike. Chatter filled the air with warmth, powdering taut faces with slight smiles.

Our heroes, tired all the same, were all nearly dozing when Rose announced the time.

"If I've been counting right, it should be seven in the morning now. Who would like to do the honors and take a restroom break?" she asked, hinting what someone had to do.

"How about a group break?" suggested Jade.

"'We mustn't raise suspicion', Colè... mother said." corrected Rose.

"Oh...," all was silent. It seemed no one was up to the task. "Alright, I'll do it." grumbled John.

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Jade.

"... Utterly." moaned the boy, slowly getting up. For show he added, "I'll be in the restroom, be right back." with a lying smile. He asked Caliborn where it was and hurried of to where he had pointed.

Inside, it smelled clean and sweet with a simple toilet and sink. He locked the door behind him.

Opening the window, he searched for his 'colleagues'. Just by the wall he nearly couldn't see they stood, lying against the it in elegant clothing. He was surprised by this. Shaking off his amazement, he motioned for them all to come to where he was.

Nodding, they all hopped over and into the window, John helping them through. Everyone was inside quickly, the little room not leaving much space.

He had to admit... They all cleaned up rather nicely. The men were looking handsome in their own ways, and the women were stunningly beautiful. He supposed that didn't surprise him, they were nice looking people under the grime and rags of their (horribly chosen) career path.

As John closed the window, Vriska opened the door. It creaked as it slowly left space for them to leave through.

They left quickly, trying to hide from the spying eyes of Caliborn. Finally, they found their spots next to Dave, Jade, and Rose.

"I simply adore your dress, Kanaya!" smiled Rose.

"And I think you look rather nice without leaves in your hair." complemented Kanaya.

"Did I really?"

"The entire time," she giggled with her mouth behind her hand.

"You should have told me!"

"Ah, but we weren't acquainted. And that would have ruined the fun."

"Your smugness knows no bounds, my friend." she smiled.

"Are you done with your flirting yet? We need to discuss the plan." the two girls blushed and nodded. Karkat continued, "Right, so, when the play prepares to start and the lights dim, we run onstage and begin our thievery. Good?"

"Should be good, boss."

"Perfect. For now, we can relax." Karkat slid down in his seat.

"So... Fancy place, huh?" asked Vriska.

"I never took you as one for small talk," countered John.

"Eh, 'm not."

"You aren't? Then what were you just doing?"

"I was... Mm... Shut up." she socked him in the arm.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." he stuck his tongue out at her. "Anyways, where did you get that dress from?"

"I ain't tellin'," she winked, "But we don't got that much time to do this is we don't wanna get arrested early."

"Vriska! That's illegal."

"Mmmmn...," she thought. "Al'ight, look at it my way. If you could do anything you ever wanted to, no laws, expectations, people counting on you... Would you?" she grabbed his shoulder, leaned against it, and pointed distantly into the sky. "If you'd already lost everything, and had nothing left but things to gain, would you do it?"

"I... Maybe I have already,"

"See! That's what I do!" she shoved him away. "No rules, no laws, no expectations, it's great! I take things and keep them for myself! What could be greater?"

"Well, having people need you is a nice feeling. And being dependent once in a while is nice, too!"

"To each their own, I guess." she tossed one of the small candles on the table between her hands. "Hey, how old are ya'?"

"I'm thirteen. My birthday was yesterday, technically,"

"Oh, wow! You're younger than I thought. And happy late birthday to you." she ruffled his hair, which he fixed immediately afterwards.

"How old are you?"

"'M sixteen."

"Oh... You don't look it." he didn't think she was that... Young.

"Should I take that as a complement?"

"I um, yeah? You look kind of like a mature adult."

"I guess I could be, if I live long enough." she looked down at the table. "All criminals die at one point. Maybe, well, I don't think I'm ready. Hopefully I will be when it comes to that."

"I don't think you're going to die. You're too strong."

"What, you want to keep me?" she chuckled.

"Friends don't want friends to die, that's what they do!" he covered his mouth quickly. He did not mean to say that. He did not know if she even liked him, nonetheless wanted to be his friend. Heck, he did not know if he even liked her enough to be her friend.

"Thanks." she smiled. He heaved a sigh of relief.

"We still have four hours left until the show," he shifted in the silence. This was a very awkward conversation.

"..."

"So, what are you planning to steal?"

"..."

"Hmmm?"

"..."

"Vriskaeeeeeeeeee!" he wined. Finally, he looked over to her, only to find her asleep. It was an early morning, he supposed.

To be frank, a little nap seemed nice to him. More than nice, in fact, he found it a wondrous idea worthy of acting upon. Now that he thought about it, the table seemed to be a very nice pillow. He could not remember when he put his head upon it, but that mattered not to him, no, not one bit. All was serene and dark beneath his eyelids. Muted chatter caught in his ears, lulling him further and further into sweet oblivion.

When he awoke, there was screaming.

Terrified, he jumped up from his chair, spinning his head wildly to find the cause of commotion. Soon he found it, the group of six people at the front of the stage, actors cowering behind them like hostages.

"Put your money and items on the table and my friend over there will release the door!" shouted the figure in the middle, Karkat, he realized.

Curiously, he glanced over to the door. There stood Dave, keeping the captives inside and advertising the handle as to prove the leader's point.

He... Never expected that Dave would take the life of crime, nor help with it in the least. This was surprising, but lesser so when he remembered that he told his team to follow whatever orders the crooks were to give them. Terezi probably put him up to it.

Soon he heard the clapping of calloused hands from the stage. The Trolls were applauding, it seemed.

"Amazing work, simply wonderful!" squealed Kanaya.

"I agree with Ms. Prissy-Skirt," smirked Terezi. She turned to the door. "Dave! Release them!"

"And if we see any of you take anything back, the big lunatic beside me will shoot you in the head." Gamzee held aloft a gun as Dave opened the doors, sending traumatized people scattering.

Dave closed the door again after everyone had left.

"Job well done, troops!" exclaimed Vriska.

"We did okay. Better next time, maybe a few warning thotths." remarked Sollux. He had a strong lisp, it seemed.

"That would be useless and would waste bullets," reasoned Karkat as he dumped some belongings and money into a large bag.

"Yes, but it would be funny." Karkat finished stuffing away the items.

"Maybe so, but-,"

"This is the police! Put your hands up and put your stolen items on the ground!" there was banging on the door and Dave rushed over to keep it closed.

"I repeat! Put your hands up and put the stolen items on the groun!"

"This isn't good," whispered Karkat. "Everybody, out the window in the bathroom."

The entire group rushed over to the bathroom silently, all except Dave who left to keep the door closed. Karkat pushed them all up and through the window, all the while cursing the building's lack of a back door.

CRASH!

The door to the bathroom spilt open as Karkat, who was the last to get out, was stuck halfway through.

"We have you now! Surrender!" they pulled him out of the window and put him next to the other prisoner, Dave by the looks of it. "If there are any other criminals here, show yourselves!"

In terror, they ran. They ran as far as they could from that building, and then ran some more.

The scenery rushed by, beautiful all the way through, but useless all the same. Feet pattered quickly in horror and grief, each few footsteps marked with a whoosh of air entering the lungs.

They halted when they reached a large expanse of water. Huffing and puffing, finally, the group sat down, mourning the loss of their two friends.

"We...," Vriska puffed, "We have to- We have to go. It's what- what they would have wanted," she reasoned.

"Right." grunted Gamzee. "Karkat was my best friend, he ain't gone for nothin'." he pointed to a little ways across the coast. "That there's a pretty big boat. We could make it to London on that."

Small flickers of hope alit in their eyes, and they stumbled across to it. Gamzee took his place at the wheel as Vriska started the motor.

"We're going to London," coughed a very tired Rose. "Finally."

**(Hey guys, it's me! I hate formats. :/ Sorry for taking so long! We had a sub a lot and I had some writer's block so...**

**Nobody's dead! (Yet.)**

**One last chapter, lads. :) Again, if you see a name or word you don't know, tell me, and I'll fix it! Enjoy your evenings and have a good night! I'm glad a lot of you like my story, by the way. :P Personally, I hated the last chapter. :/**

**Don't forget to check my profile for updates!**

**Love you all!)**


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